Just a few minutes ago, Mr. Song had eavesdropped on Seung's conversation with the director. Anxiety gripped his heart, pounding erratically. He knew Seijin's request would push Seung back onto the dangerous path, one he had barely escaped from. Determined to prevent this, he hailed a taxi to the W.H.A headquarters.
"I will be allowed to meet him because I am not a random stranger," he reassured himself as the taxi sped through the bustling city.
[Inside the Building]
A firm knock echoed through the President's office.
"Come in," the man said without looking up from his newspaper. He found solace in either enlarging his muscles or reading the news during his leisure time. Despite his age, he remained vigorous.
A slender woman in a pink suit, her hair neatly styled in a bun, entered with measured grace. She clasped her hands together at her abdomen, her gaze respectfully lowered.
"Good afternoon, President Park," she greeted. "Mr. Song Minseok seeks an audience with you."
The President's jaw dropped, eyes widening. The newspaper slipped from his hand as he stood abruptly.
"He's at the headquarters right now?" he asked, surprise giving way to excitement. The recent months had brought little to stir his emotions like the news of his former colleague being alive.
"Don't be too surprised, Colonel Park," said a slow-paced, raspy voice approaching the door. "Or must I address you as the president now?"
The woman exited quietly at the President's command. The two men, reunited after many years, exchanged warm pleasantries.
A few moments later, they were seated on opposite couches, a table holding two steaming cups of coffee between them. The rising steam lent a cozy warmth to the room.
Mr. Song had served directly under President Park in the military. Park, a Colonel, and Song, a Lieutenant Colonel, had been renowned for their seamless cooperation and successful operations. But the military field had changed after most soldiers became Awakeneds. The once-bustling headquarters stood empty, with the world now at war with monsters. Mr. Song had chosen to protect his family and the Lee children, opting for a quieter life.
"The... the boy is a Hunter now?!" President Park exclaimed, spilling his coffee. His cheeks drained of color. "Of all things in the world, why would you allow him to choose that? Don't you know how dangerous it is for him?"
Mr. Song sighed deeply. "His family's breakdown affected him profoundly. He doesn't trust anyone and makes decisions on his own. He's trying to save his sister with something dangerous, and he's even in a sickbed right now. On top of everything, he has lost an arm!"
His voice grew louder and more tense. The concern in his eyes was palpable. It was natural for someone to want to save their loved ones, but Seung saw it as a way of repenting for a sin he thought he had committed.
During the human-against-monster war, his mother had been killed trying to save him, and his father had suffered a similar fate. Mr. Song witnessed it all. He had wanted to do more than just cover the Colonel and save the kids; he had wanted to crush the monster's heart.
Little Seung and his sister had been found at a dumping site a month after they ran away, their bodies dark with dirt. The sister was unconscious and diagnosed with food poisoning, while Seung was healthy, indicating he had been fed while his sister ate rotten food. Seung must have blamed himself for that too.
Mr. Song pleaded, "I have a favor to ask. Please. I am making this request as Seung's family, not just as his benefactor."
"Do you mean...?"
"Yes," he responded immediately. "I know there's a law that mandates you, as the President, to delist a Hunter if their family members ask for it. Now, I am making that request. Please, remove Lee Seung from the hunting field. I want him to live a typical and happy life like his peers. He has a lot to do with his teenage life."
[Later in Seung's Ward]
Seung stood by the window of his ward, a somber expression etched on his face. He gazed outside, silently. The pain in his stomach and the stress coursing through his joints had completely subsided, thanks to the AI system.
He thought about the death of his C-rank teammates, recalling their brief happy moments and their painful last moments. Tears streamed down his face as he remembered how hard they had tried to stay alive and protect everyone else, only to have their lives end in the blink of an eye. He wondered how responsible the tech inside him could have been if it had empowered him before the first person died.
"No," he nodded, sniffing. "None of them deserved that kind of ending. They were all nice. Even though Jiwoo needed her dagger most, she gave it to me to protect myself. Should that have been their fate, nature?!"
His composure was slipping. Anger surged as he wondered why nature was unfair to everyone now, not just him.
Seung sniffed again and wiped the tears away, then walked back to the bed and laid down.
[At Midnight]
The ward was dark, and Seung's loud snores filled the room. The gigantic silver moon danced in the dark clouds, its divine light faintly illuminating the sky. The city was quiet, except for the barking of stray dogs and other restless animals.
In the hospital ward, the screen turned on above Seung's body, its bluish light casting on him.
[The time is 5:00 AM.]
[Mutant is required to carry out mandatory daily missions. Once the countdown is met, you'll be transported to the Domain for intense training.]
[10,9,8,7,6...]
Seung woke up with a start. "I think I heard someone speak to me," he shouted.
He was surprised to see the display on the screen. It was similar to the mechanical male voice he had heard in his sleep, stern and devoid of emotions.
[5,4,3,2,1...]
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Seung's brows furrowed as he stared at the screen. The mechanical male voice he had heard in his sleep was stern and devoid of emotions.
"[5, 4, 3, 2, 1…]"
As the countdown reached zero, he felt his body suddenly devoid of energy. Out of his control, he was lifted from the bed as if he were a piece of paper.
"What's going on? Why have I become light?" he shouted, trying to steady himself.
***
A hush fell over the scene. The sky, which had been dark and dimly lit by the silvery moon, turned into an orange expanse. It resembled a sea but was orange instead of blue. There was no moon, no clouds, no birds—just an empty, orange-hued sky.
Lee Seung stepped forward cautiously, his eyes scanning his surroundings while covering his mouth. He felt a cold warmth under his feet as he walked. Although the floor was dry, it gave a cold sensation.
"Where is this godforsaken place? What am I doing here?" he muttered, still looking around.
The grasses were withered, the soil very dry. It seemed impossible for such soil to grow grass unless it had changed recently. Mosses crawled over the cold, dry floor.
The land stretched endlessly, with towering hills and leafless trees about two hundred meters away. Disassembled metallic parts, like broken robotic limbs, were scattered around.
Except for the damaged parts, trees, and hills, there was nothing else despite the vastness of the place. As Seung continued to walk, he frequently turned back, sensing a presence behind him, only to find nothing.
"Damn!" he cursed. "It's as if this place is haunted. The AI should have asked for my input on the training ground…"
He halted instantly, eyes fixed ahead. A faint light shone on him up to chest level, his eyes darting around continuously.
"[Welcome to your Domain. This is an artificial space created from your memories, which will serve as your training ground. The main purpose of this operation is for you to master all moves, gain more knowledge on using your skills, and strengthen your physique.]
[Training in the Domain is a compulsory daily mission. You will automatically be teleported here when the time is reached.]
[Please select Difficulty: Easy, Hard, or Crazy.]"
Seung smirked. "What else can it be?" He chose, "I will go with Crazy."
The screen switched urgently:
"[Warning: Mutant, you haven't fully recovered from your injury, so it's suicidal to choose that.]"
"What's suicidal about it?" Seung scoffed. "This place is made from my memory, so I can't get injured. It isn't even real. Let's get to it, system." A smile played on his lips, and he rolled his shoulders, shaking off the fatigue.
"[Sigh… if you say so.]"
Seung's brows furrowed in curiosity at the remark, but he shrugged it off. This situation wasn't new to him; he had seen something similar in a movie when he was ten. The actor also traveled to a memory-fabricated place during a war but didn't get hit by the missiles.
"[Training has begun. The aim of this round is to survive for two hours without using a weapon. Note: most of your abilities have been restricted inside the Domain, especially your deadliest one.]"
Seung murmured, "Deadliest…?"
BRIM!!!
An automated sound signaling an opening made him glance back, low pants escaping his lips.
Creak!
A hatch opened in the cold, moss-covered ground, and sleek humanoid robots emerged. They moved with mechanical precision, eyes glowing ominously red. They clenched their fists tightly, clinking sounds emitting from their joints. Seung's skin prickled as they stepped closer, every instinct screaming at him to back down.
He held his punch forward, swallowing his fear. "Bring it on, geezers. I have fought bastards far worse than you."
One robot lunged at him with lightning speed. Seung dodged, rolling to the side and coming up in a defensive stance. He threw a punch at the robot's torso, but his fist met unyielding metal. Ignoring the pain, he pivoted, using the robot's momentum to throw it off balance.
Two more robots charged at him in a zigzag pattern. He sidestepped the one in front, got to the middle, and stamped the second one's chest with maximum force, throwing it off balance. When the first lunged again, he seized its arm and slammed it to the ground. The robot's metallic build clattered, although it rose back as if nothing had happened.
Before he knew it, the robots had surrounded him. His heart pounded under the hospital dress, being alone and unarmed.
'Damn it! There's no way my arm can penetrate through them! What do I do?'
His eyes fell on his own metallic left arm. He raised his brows and glared at the robots. 'Have a taste of this!'
He threw a punch at the one in front and knocked it off balance. His grin widened, seeing his arm finally proving useful.
Wham, wham!!!
Metal clattered constantly, and in a blink of an eye, all the robots were sprawling on the ground, but the red light in their eyes remained on. Seung was on the brink of feeling victorious when they rose back to their feet, surrounding him again.
His eyes widened, and sweat gathered on his forehead. His heart pounded, and the air was thick and heavy, almost suffocating.
'I think it's best to summon my clones now. That can change the outcome of only me fighting,' he thought, swallowing hard. He just thought of doing it, so the screen should open.
The display showed:
"[Cloning access denied. Please recall the important notice given at the beginning of this training.]
[You have survived for just ten minutes. The next phase will begin right now.]
[Robots remaining: 20]"
He glanced around in surprise. The robots surrounding him were not more than ten. So why did the system report the number as twenty? Perhaps, it was to confuse and frustrate him?
One of the robots vaulted with fluid movement and punched him straight in the chest. His back thumped against those behind him, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Pushing himself up, he quickly jumped out of their midst.
Seung panted heavily and wiped the blood from his face. "Dang, I really can get hurt here. Fighting metal unarmed? Nah, that's very crazy."
BRIM!
Another hatch opened, and more robots emerged. The distance between them and Seung was less than five meters. He hadn't been able to dismantle one, yet more robots joined. The system had put him at a lot of disadvantages; he couldn't use a weapon, stats reduction for energy refill was not allowed, and he couldn't summon his clones. He was just alone.
"Damn, the robots are closing in on me. I have no other way of engaging them for the next two hours; it's either I surrender myself as a punching bag or run away. Poof, God! Even if I choose to run, I will run out of energy in the next five minutes because of my last fight's wound. I must think!" he fretted, rubbing his palm nervously and swallowing hard.
Before he could blink, one of the robots was already in front of him. But he managed to seize its punch. The robot pressed him backward, but he resisted, summoning every ounce of strength he had.
"EHH!" He screamed violently, pushing the humanoid backward as well. His brows contracted, teeth gritting barely.
Glaring at its red eyes reminded him of the Soul Devourer, bringing back memories of the rank C team. His teeth gritted further, and he yelled louder.
"Damn you!"
Fortunately, he won the strength-testing push. Then the robot charged again; Seung gripped its shoulder and neck. He violently pushed them apart, and the robot's trapezius snapped.
SPARRGH!
The red light in the robot's eyes went off, and it crashed to the ground.
Seung panted heavily and bent, pinning his palms to his knees. Raising his head a bit, he saw the others charging at him. He mumbled, "I have found out how, so it's time you got your asses on the ground. Who cares if you are made of metal?"
He rolled his shoulders again and then charged towards them. His yell echoed through the expanse, and the frequency of clattering metals increased. With each passing moment, Seung's punches became more intense. He realized that not every time would a weapon be available in a fight. With a sudden adrenaline push, he began to feel the energy in his hand and punched the robots more effectively.
As he fought, memories of his family flashed through his mind. His mother's smile, his father's jokes, his sister's laughter. He couldn't afford to be inferior to anything or anyone, not now. Not ever.
The screen displayed:
"[Robots remaining: 2/20]
[Time remaining: 10 seconds]"
"Hee-hee," he panted heavily, swallowing his dry saliva. Sweat trickled down his hair to his nose, and his heart pounded from exhaustion. "Bring it on… BASTARDS!"
He ran to their front; he dodged one's attack and instantly retaliated, lifting it and slamming it to the ground, turning it into wreckage.
WHAM!
His view turned blurry; nevertheless, he managed to lift his leg and land a crushing blow on the last robot. When it fell, the display showed:
"[Time remaining: 0 seconds.]
[Training completed. Welcome back.]"
Seung's body crashed back into his hospital ward with a loud thud. He lay weakly on the tiled floor, his clothes wet and clinging to his body.
"Mr. Lee Seung?" a nurse called, opening the door. Seeing his state, she shouted, running to his aid, "Mister!!"
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